LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



sheif-ia:.::;: 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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BAPTISM: 



\^ODE A|MD DESIGJ^ 



REV. W. B. GODBEY, A. M. 

Of the Kentucky Conference, 



CINCINNATI: 

Elm Street Printing Company, Nos. 176 & 178 Elm Street. 
1883. ^ 



v»» .* ■ 




Entered according to the Act of Congress in the year 1883, by 

W. B. GODBEY, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington^ D. C. 



PREFACE. 

Pursuant to the constant importunities of friends 
corroborated by conscientious convictions, I turn my- 
self over to the Lord, permitting Him to use me for 
His glorification in the following elucidation of Chris- 
tian baptism. We write not for theologians, but for 
the people. But as we have had so many debates 
on this subject, especially in Kentucky, let me here 
distinctly state. If any one desires to controvert this 
book, it will afford the author great pleasure to meet 
him at the time and place he may designate. 

As this book is not for the learned, but for the peo- 
ple, I shall not encumber it with dead languages, but 
give in English the substance of vast and variant 
lingual, critical and historical data, for which I am 
personally responsible. I shall freely and frequently 
advert to the valuable and compendious works of Drs. 
Ditzler and Chapman, in which hundreds of authors 
are faithfully quoted. 

ABBREVIATIONS. 

V. Verse. 

H. Hebrew Bible. 

G. Greek Bible. 

L. Latin Bible. 

D. Ditzler on Baptism. 

C. Chapman on Baptism. 

i. e., id. est — that is. Figures refer to pages. 



INTRODU CTOR Y. 



As the Eucharist is the institution of Christ illus- 
trating the atonement, equally significantly is baptism 
the ordinance of the Holy Ghost, the sanctifier and 
vitalizer of the world. The Holy Ghost is frequently 
illustrated by the falling rain upon the thirsty earth. 
Ps. Ixxii: 6: **The (Holy Spirit) shall come down like 
rain. * *" As showers that water the earth." 

The rain is the water of temporal life. The Holy 
Spirit is the water of spiritual life. Without the for- 
mer the world would become a desert uninhabited by 
man or beast ; without the latter it would become a 
hell inhabited only by devils incarnate and excarnate. 
So baptism with water is the beautiful emblem of 
spiritual life and purity. 

The reason why we write these pages is because 
this beautiful and simple emblem by human device 
has been transformed into a hid.ous and monstrous 
water-god, an uncompromising rival of Jesus Christ. 

We pray the Holy Spirit to use this little book as 
an iconoclast to destroy this idol, that the people may 
be saved. 

In the following scriptures baptism is defined a 
symbolic purification, John iii: 25 ; Luke xi : 38 ; Titus 
iii: 5 ; Ezekiel xxxvi: 25 j'Isa Hi : 15. 



BAPTISM-MODE AND DESIGN. 



PART I. 



The Bible mode is always affusion. The ele- 
ment is invariably administered to the subject. 
The plain and simple statement of the Bible 
everywhere precludes the pri)bability of an im- 
mersion. 

We believe an immersion will do for baptism, 
but that it was ever practiced by prophet or 
apostle we positively deny. 

We find not a trace of immersion till the third 
century. Then it is mentioned in such a way 
as to preclude its apostolic practice. Immerse 
never occurs in the Bible, while sprinkle and 
pour occur frequently. 

(C. 215). Tertullian early in the third century 
writes in reference to the trine naked immer- 
15) 



6 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

sions of his day : ^^ We immerse (L. mergo) 
thrice, doing somewhat more than our Lord re- 
quireth. " The same author says : '^ John the 
Baptist sprinkled (L. tingo), Peter sprinkled 
(L. tingo) and Christ sent the apostles that 
they should sprinkle (L. tingo) the nations. " 

Now remember, failing to find immerse in the 
Bible, we go to history and here find it for the 
first time. 

Meanwhile the same author certifies John 
sprinkled, Peter sprinkled and Christ sent the 
apostles that they should sprinkle the nations. 

I may here observe the singular fact that the 
Immersionists in desperation, to rescue a sinking 
cause from hopeless ruin, stoutly deny that 
tingo ever means anything but immerse. In all 
our definitions, please remember we admit (L.) 
tingo, (Gr.) baptidzo and (H.) tabhal are words of 
various meanings, among which are afi*use, i. e., 
sprinkle, and pour, and immerse. A. Campbell 
gives (Gr.) baptidzo twenty different meanings. 
(D. 101). All we claim is that the Bible settles 
its Bible meaning to be affusion. 

That Tertullian uses (L.) tingo in the sense 
of sprinkle is absolutely certain. Why would 
he say we (L.) mergo (immerse) and John the 
Baptist, Peter and the apostles (L.) tingo 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 7 

(sprinkled) if mergo and tingo were synonymous? 
They are not synonymous ; for tingo means 
sprinkle, but immerse never. The following 
cases settle Tertullian's meaning to be sprinkle : 
Speaking of the heathens baptizing in imitation 
of the Christians. In the sacred rites of Isis,, 
in the Apollinarian and Eleusinian rites, houses,, 
temples and whole cities are baptized (L.) tingo. 
D. 284 and C. 270. Here and in other similar 
cases, there can be no cavil. They did not im- 
merse these houses, temples and whole cities in> 
water, yet Tertullian says they tingoed them,, 
when we all know they sprinkled them. So 
Tertullian says John the Baptist, Peter and the 
apostles tingoed the people, i, e., sprinkled 
them. 

LEXICONS. 

On (H.) tabhal,(Gr.) baptidzo and (L.) tingo^ 
the words translated baptize. 

Buxtorf, the Father of Hebrew lexicogra- 
phy, bearing date 1689, gives first definition (L.) 
tingo, used in Dan. iv: 12, to denote Nebuchad- 
nezzar's sprinkling with dew; also v. 20 (L.) 
conspergo, to sprinkle and v. 22 (L.) infundo, 
to pour upon. 

Dr. Furst, the prince of Hebrew scholars at 
the present day, defines the word (L.) rigare^ 



8 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

tingere, to moisten, to sprinkle. The Hebrew 
is the primary authority and settles the contro- 
versy in favor of affusion. 

The following Greek Lexicons define baptid- 
zo affuse. Julianus (L.) perfundere, to sprinkle. 
Stokius (L.) raino, perfundo, aspergo, sprinkle ; 
Ed. Leigh, Schleusner, Enthymrus, Stephanus, 
Schrevelius, Grrimshaw. Of these we would call 
especial attention to the definition of Schleusner, 
whose scholarship is acknowledged pre-eminent. 
We have his works in two large volumes elabo- 
rately defining every New Testament word. 

Like many other authors he first gives im- 
merse and then proceeds to state '^ in this defi- 
nition, it never occurs in the New Testament, 
but in the sense of purgo (purify), abluo (wash), 
and lave (sprinkle), and metaphorically to pour 
forth largely.'' 

Robinson gives a similar definition. 

The Immersionists are forced by their dogma 
and, practice to assume that (H.) tabhal, (G.) 
baptidzo and (L.) tingo always mean immerse 
and immerse only. Dr. Carson, the prince of 
Immersionists, well said : " In this I have all 
the lexicographers and commentators against 
me." 

Under this " onus probandi, " they are every- 



BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 9 

where breaking down. Dr. Conant has made 
the ablest effort in all the world and the ablest 
that ever will be made to sustain the dogma and 
signally and hopelessly failed. • Many of his 
own examples', instead of establishing immersion, 
refute it ; so he cuts his own head off a dozen 
times. His Baptizein, which is an utter and 
hopeless breakdown, is the last rally of the Im- 
mersionists. 

Twenty-five years ago, they all wanted to af- 
firm immersion. Now, we can seldom get them 
to deny affusion. At that time this book would 
have provoked a hundred challenges for debate^ 
noW, I fear, the battlefield will be silent. 

HISTORY. 

The Immersionists are always vociferating 
that Novatian, in A. D. 251, was the first case 
of affusion baptism. This is a great mistake. 
We trace affusion, in an unbroken succession, 
not only to the apostles, but to Moses. 

Eusebius relates that when the Apostle John 
reclaimed a fallen disciple he was so penitent as 
to be baptized by flowing tears. 

Walker relates that a Jew in the time of the 
apostles was baptized by pouring sand on him. 
(C. 101.). 



10 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Origen, the most learned man of his day, born 
only 85 years after the apostles, his father and 
grandfather being Christians — of course the 
latter contemporary with the apostles — com- 
ments on the transaction at Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 
xviii : 31-8), when Elijah poured water on the 
altar, and describes it by (G.) baptidzo; also 
certifying that John the Baptist did the same 
thing. So here is. the most learned of all the 
fathers, his family contemporary with the apos- 
tles, himself a native Greek, using the New Tes- 
ment Greek word to denote the pouring of water 
on the altar and transferring the case at once to 
John the Baptist's pouring at the Jordan (Dale's 
Judaic Baptism, 328). Bishop Caslistus, A. D. 
222, and St. Lawrence, A. D. 250, both bap- 
tized by affusion on the occasions of their own 
martyrdom (Martyrology of Ado, C. 34.) 

The learned Lactantius, A. D. 320, states 
Christ would save the people by pouring on thcni 
the purifying water (C. 101.) Aurelius Pru- 
dentius and Bishop of Nola, A. D. 390, state that 
John poured the water on the people (C. 234-5 ) 

St. Barnard states that John poured the water 
on the head of his Creator. (C. 138.; 

The Waldenseshave existed from the apostolic 
age. They baptize by affusion. 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 11 

The Immersionists quote many historians cer- 
tifying immersion ; but please remember they 
are all modern men and quote no ancient author. 
Hence their testimony is null and void ; amount- 
ing to no more than their own opinions. 

No wonder the Immersionists quote no ancient 
men, for they all certify affusion. 

Trine-naked immersion is first heard of in the 
third century with the incoming dark ages. 

The single dip was first invented by Euno- 
mius, A. D. 440 (Sozomon, D. 288 and C. 275.) 

FIRST TESTIMONY. 

Ezekiel xxxvi : 25: ^'I will sprinkle clean 
water upon you." And Isaiah Hi : 15 : "So shall 
he sprinkle many nations." 

These prophets, inspired by the infallible 
Holy Ghost, contemplating all future ages in 
panoramic visions, till the world is dazzled with 
the splendors of the judgment throne, exult- 
antly behold the triumphs of the gospel till 
every idol is dethroned and every idolater 
sprinkled with clear water, i. e., baptized into 
the church, and Christ enthroned in every heart. 
Meanwhile millennial glory will encircle the 
globe. These statements are unmistakable and 
irrefutable. We are forced to accept baptism 
by sprinkling or reject the Bible. 



12 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Could our immersion friends find a correspond- 
ing scripture in their favor, i. e., ^'I will im- 
merse you in water," how they would shout. 
They would write it over every church door. 
The artifice that would explain away these scrip- 
tures would take your Bible from you. So be- 
ware. Hold to your Bible and the question is 
settled in favor of sprinkling. These scriptures 
can't be evaded, from the fact that the church 
sprinkles water for nothing but baptism. 

The scholars of all ages have interpreted 
these scriptures to mean baptism. 

We could give the names of the brightest- 
sages, from Origen, the father of commentators, 
down to the present, explaining this to be water 
baptism. But how can you deny it? You can't, 
if you will throw down your prejudice. 

SECOND TESTIMONY. 

Moses, (Ex. xv: 10;) David, (Psa. Ixxvii: 
17 ;) Paul, (1 Cor. x : 10 and Heb. ix : 10, 13, 19.) 
Moses certifies the Egyptians were immersed 
and the Israelites passed through dry-shod, i, e., 
were not immersed ; while Paul certifies that the 
Israelites were all baptized and David tells the 
mode, I. e., ^'the clouds poured forth water." So 
Moses, David and Paul collaterally reveal the 
fact that the Israelites were baptized by sprink- 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 13 

ling and not immersed. I am well acquainted . 
with the vast tergiversations resorted to by our 
opponents to evade the unanswerable testimony 
of these inspired witnesses to affusion, but they 
are all in vain. 

So, reader, whenever the Lord sends a shower 
of rain from heaven, look at it and you will see 
God's mode of baptism, by which he baptized 
his people when they passed through the sea. 
Under Judaism ceremonies were very operose ; 
baptism might be repeated indefinitely. 

In Heb. ix: 10, Paul speaks of diaphoroisbap- 
tismois (Gr.) diverse baptisms— 9th verse sprink- 
ling—and 19th verse: " Moses sprinkled all the 
people at the tabernacle door," i. e., baptized 
all the people. . . So I find Moses was a great 
Baptist, and an equally great sprinkler, since 
he baptized three millions of people by sprink- 
ling at the tabernacle door, as certified by Paul. 

The Jews practiced baptism constantly — that 
they sprinkled is clearly revealed : Lev, ;siv; 7^ 
and Num. xix: 19. 

That they ever immersed can't be proved by 
the Bible. 

THIRD TESTIMONY. 

We now introduce John the Baptist on Jor- 
dan's bank. Did he immerse or affuse? 



14 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Against the probability of immersion we ad- 
duce its impossibility. Matth. iii : 5, 6,. says be 
baptized the people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and 
all the regions round about Jordan, i. e., six 
millions of people. He was only engaged six 
months. The calculation, allowing ten hours 
per day, would require him to baptize sixty 
persons per minute. 

Besides, the Jordan is very cold and flows 
with the impetuosity of a mountain torrent. 
(D. 41.) Standing in the cold water would 
arrest circulation and quickly produce paralysis 
and death. 

One-fourth of the number certified by Matthew 
would equal the entire population of Kentucky. . 
Where is the man who could immerse all the 
people of Kentucky in the beautiful and placid 
Ohio? That man don't live. An antediluvian 
giant would wear out and die before he laid 
all the people of Kentucky on their backs in 
the river and lifted them out by physical power. 
Did John in six months immerse four times 
that number? You can't believe it if you try. 
Especially when John tells you the very oppo- 
site ; for he says he handled the water and not 
the people, always using hudati (Gr.) with water, 
in the instrumental dative. 



BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 15 

The regular New Testament construction, 
hudati (Gr.), precludes the possibility of immer- 
sion. ''Motion to governs the accusative" is a 
fundamental rule of Greek grammar. 

Pursuant to this invariable rule of the Greek 
language, if they had immersed we would in- 
variably have ''baptidzo eis to hudor" (G.), the 
accusative case governed by eis (G.), instead of 
"en to hudati (G.), or as it often occurs with 
stronger force without a preposition, simply 
hudati (G.) (Mark i: 8; Luke iii: 16; Acts 
i: 5; xi: 16; Heb. x: 22.) The doctrine of 
instrumentality without a preposition, showing 
beyond the possibility of cavil that the water 
was handled and applied to the people, and not 
the people handled and applied to the water. 
This position is corroborated by every passage 
in the Bible. 

In addition to the baptism of the New Testa- 
ment we cite from the Septuagint : 

1 Kings xviii : 3 : Obediah fed the prophets 
with bread and water, ''hudati" (G.) ; Neh. xiii : 
2: Amonites and Moabites met not Israel with 
bread and water, "hudati" (G.) 

Ezek. xvi : 4 : "Thou wast not washed in 
with water, "hudati" (G.) 9th verse : I washed 
thee with water, ''hudati" (G.) ; Num. xix : 19, 



16 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

in water, 'aiudati," (G.) ; 2 Kings viii : 15 : 
"Hazael (bapto, G.) wet the cloth with water, 
^'hudati'^ (G.) 

On the contrary, we find when the person or 
thing falls (as in case of immersion) into the 
water, we invariably have the accusative with 
eis. .Matth. xvii : 15: Falls into the water 
(eis to hudor, G.) (Latin immerse). Acts vii : 
24 : ^'Often causeth him to fall into the water'* 
(eis hudata, G.) 2 Kings vi : 5 : ^^Ax fell 
into the water" (eis to hudor, G.) 

Ex. XV : 25 : "Moses fell a tree into the 
water" (eis to hudor, G.) 

Josh. iii. 15 : "The priests dipped their feet 
into the brim of water." 

So every Bible case of immersion (there is 
none for Baptism by immersion) takes water in 
the accusative ; whereas in every case of bap- 
tism it is in the dative. Hence the idea of im- 
mersion is incompatible with the grammatical 
construction of the Greek Testament. 

I used this argument in debate with Elder 
Briney (one of the ablest immersionists in the 
world), at Little Hickman, May 1st, 1883. His 
only attempted* refutation was a reference to 
Mark i : 9, ("eis ton lordaneen, G.), which is not 
a parallel cis \ ' c i' i^ the accusative of place as 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN 17 

(Acts 8 : 38) at A^otus, and (Matth. v : 35) by 
Jerusalem. But never did he even attempt to 
meet the argument. If John had immersed 
those people he would have said, ^'baptidzo 
humas eis to hudor" (Gr.), whereas he said^ 
(Matth. iii : 11) baptidzo humas en hudati 
(G.), positively revealing the fact that he ap- 
plied the water to the people, instead of apply- 
ing the people to the water, which is really 
the case in immersion. 

It is an indisputable fact that immersion never 
can be harmonized with the Greek Testament. 
The construction requires affusion and precludes 
immersion. 

Again : John tells us he poured the water on 
the people at the Jordan. He says : '^I baptize 
you with water, and Jesus will baptize you with 
the Holy Ghost." So he uses the same word to 
reveal what he does to the people with water 
and what Jesus does with the Holy Ghost; 
hence it is a matter of positive and unmistak- 
able revelation that John and Jesus did the 
same thing, and that thing is revealed by the 
word baptize. If John had not done the same 
thing with water that Jesus did with Spirit and 
fire he would not have used the same word to 
tell what he did, and also what Jesus did. Then 



18 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

what did John and Jesus do ? — for the Bible 
says they did the same thing — the difference 
not in what they did, but the element used ; 
namely, water in one case and Spirit and fire in 
the other. But fortunately the Bible reveals 
in many places (Acts i: 8; ii : 17, 18; x: 44) 
that Jesus poured when he baptized. Don't 
you know that is equivalent to saying John 
poured when he baptized? 

If the people were in the Jordan waist deep 
it don't modify the case. John poured the water 
on them, for he says he did. You know Jesus 
poured and can't deny it. Then how can you 
say John immersed, ^. e , did the very opposite, 
when the same word tells what both admin- 
istrators did ? If John immersed, Jesus im- 
mersed; but you know the Bible everywhere 
says he poured. If John plunged the people into 
the water, Jesus plunged them into the Holy 
Ghost and fire; but the Bible says the S^'irit 
fell on them and the fire fell on them. Then 
we are inevasibly driven to the conclusion that 
the water fell on them. Jesus poured the Spirit 
and fire on them, and it is equally certain John 
poured the water on them. 

The Greek Scripture gives us no evidence that 
John and his people were in the water. It don't 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 19 

say they went in, and the statement ^^came out" 
is well known to be a wrong translation, and is 
corrected in the revised version of 1881, and 
reads "came up from" the water, only implying 
that he was at it and not in in it. The expres- 
sion "in Jordan," is perfectly correctly trans- 
lated "at Jordan," or "on Jordan;" just as we 
would say on the Ohio. 

We have not the slightest assurance that any 
of the baptismal parties spoken of in the New 
Testament were ever in the water. Out of the 
fourteen recorded baptisms only three of them 
were at the water. They were generally in 
houses. But suppose they baptized in rivers ; 
it is equally clear they poured, for the Bible 
everywhere says so.. 

Moses baptized all the people by sprinkling 
as they stood at the tabernacle door (Hsib. ix : 
10, 19). The Jewish priests, from the days of 
Moses, had baptized by sprinkling. John was 
born a priest. He uses the same word to denote 
his administrations used by Paul (Heb. ix : 10), 
to denote the sprinkling. So how can we con- 
clude he changed the ordinance? 

As Moses stood at the tabernacle door and 
sprinkled the people standing round him, so we 
conclude John stood on Jordan's bank, dipped 



20 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

the hyssop in the water and sprinkled the mul- 
titudes. So all the ancient statuary represent 
our Savior standing and John pouring wateron 
his head. Some of these statues date within 
about one hundred years of the apostles. Thus 
we have the unanimous (C. 125) testimony of all 
history and all Scripture that John baptized by 
affusion. 

FOURTH TESTIMONY — PENTECOST, 

in which Jesus, Paul, Peter, Luke and John the 
Baptist commingle their familiar voices. 

Here are facts accompanied by incontestable 
demonstrations. Jesus commanded his apostles 
to go and baptize every person in the whole 
world; /. ^.,to do something to everybody which 
he revealed by the word ^^ baptize." Now, lest 
they should be mistaken in reference to what 
they are to do, he positively forbids them to 
begin till he does the same thing to them which 
they are to do to all the people in the world. 
The only difference is he uses spirit and fire, and 
they are to use water, because the same word 
'^baptize" tells what both Jesus and his apostles 
are to do. 

Now, what is it? 

The auspicious day comes. Jesus pours out 
his spirit on them (Acts ii: 17, 18). The Holy 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 21 

Spirit came upon them (Acts i : 8), and the fire 
sat on them (Acts ii: 3). The same day 3,000 
were baptized with water, and in a few hours 
5,000 more. How was it done? It is revealed 
above— the water fell on them. Jesus gate them 
an illustrative example and they followed it. 
He poured and they poured. 

Hence, there in that mountain city, distin- 
guished in all ages for its scarcity of water in 
the dry season (and this was in June), and sup- 
plied at that time by the pools of Solomon, twelve 
miles distant in the mountains — there is no 
difficulty in baptizing the 3,000 during the fore- 
noon services; and they entered upon the after- 
noon service al 3 o'clock (Acts iii: 1). 

This expedition is irreconcilable with immer- 
sion, and abundantly corroborates the Scripture 
statement that it was affussion. Now, reader, 
please remember Pentecost is no longer a day, 
hut a dispensation — the brightest and the best, 
the full-orbed gospel in splendor and glory un- 
precedented since the world began, while you 
and I are so fortunate as to live amid this grand 
Pentecostal light and glory. 

John the Baptist having preached the gospel 
prologue, and baptized with water, introduced 
Jesus, the Great Baptizer, and retired. Has 



22 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Jesus baptized you? Don't wait. If lie don^t 
baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire, there 
is no room for you in heaven. Jesus is the only 
Baptizer ; we symbolize with water, but Jesus 
does the baptizing. How can you believe the 
Pentecostal preachers plunged when the Bible 
states positively that Jesus poured, and the 
preachers did the same thing with water? 

If you will read that Scripture and let it mean 
what it says, you carit believe they were im- 
mersed unless you take the position of a giant 
immersionist, in debate with me, '^ that they were 
immersed by pouring ! ! ! " I responded : "Quan- 
tity is not in question. If you pour the Atlantic 
Ocean on a man, he is baptized by pouring." 

One of my great objections to immersion is 
that it ignores and detracts attention from our 
Savior's baptism, without which all water bap- 
tisms are farcical, nonsensical and blasphemous. 
At Pentecost the two baptisms are in so close 
proximity, and the mode revealed in so plain 
phraseology, '^poured out" and "fell on them," 
that nothing but sectarian prejudice could ever 
so much as raise a quibble in the mind of the 
reader. I have often debated with iron-bound 
sectarians who, in desperation, would leap to the 
suicidal ultimatum of denying that there is any 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 23 

such a thing as Holy Ghost baptism. They 
quote Paul to (Eph. i : 5) ^^one baptism." To 
this we reply that Paul is there expounding the 
economy of grace, in which there is but one 
baptism, namely, that of the spirit. 

But the same apostle, in Heb. vi : 2, describ- 
ing the gospel rudiments, speaks of ^' baptisms '^ 
— at least two, namely, that of water and that 
of the Spirit. 

Aside from the fact that the Bible abounds in 
Holy Grhost baptisms, and there is no salvation 
without it — for out of Christ there is no salva- 
tion, and no one can get into him but by the 
baptism of the Holy Ghost (R-om. vi : 3, Gal. 
iii: 27, and 1 Cor. xii : 13) — Peter promptly 
settles the question forever (Acts ii: 39) in his 
Pentecostal sermon: "So the promise is made 
unto you and to your children, and to all who 
are afar oiF, even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call." 

The "promise'' of what? Why, the baptism 
of the Holy Ghost, which came down and saved 
3,000, and is still coming down and will continue 
to come down as long as fervent prayers go up. 
This is the only hope of the world ; the only 
power that ever saved a soul or ever will. To 
deny the present and perpetual efficiency of 



24 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Holy Grhost baptism is tlie very doctrine of anti- 
christ. It dethrones Jesus and enthrones the 
water god. 

And for what are all these suicidal lunges? 
Why, to save immersion, an institution un- 
known in the Bible, and never once heard of 
till after every inspired man had gone to heaven. 
If you would see the falsity of a doctrine, you 
have nothing to do but follow it into its laborin- 
thine absurdities. Here we see men of learning 
and intelligence throwing away the only real and 
substantial baptism, on which depends the sal- 
vation of their souls, and all for what? Why, 
to get rid of the Bible mode and sustain a 
sectarian cause. 

FIFTH TESTIMONY. 

Philip (Acts viii: 38, Isaiah Hi: 15): "So 
shall he sprinkle many nations. '' (And Matth. 
xvii:27.) 

Here Philip falls in with the Ethiopian 
eunuch, preaches the gospel to him, and baptizes 
him. He takes for his text the messianic prophe- 
cies of Isaiah, which the eunuch was reading, 
and as he baptized him we conclude he preached 
baptism. The only baptism in his text was by 
sprinkling. So we are forced to conclude that 
he sprinkled him. But, you say, he went into 



BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 25 

the water. Then what did he do ? His text 
says "sprinkle." So I conclude he sprinkled 
him. 

His text from the evangelical prophet had 
nothing but "sprinkle," but Luke says that he 
baptized him. Then how shall I understand 
Luke? The Bible is a self-interpreter. Hence 
my only appeal is to the Bible itself That the 
solution may be close, clear and conclusive, I 
take the same author (Luke) and let him ex- 
plain himself He tells in Acts i : 2, that Jesus 
did the same thing to his apostles at Pentecost, 
with the Holy Ghost and fire, that Philip did 
to the eunuch with water, but he tells me Jesus 
poured the Spirit on them. So I have the Bible 
answer Philip poured the water on the eunuch. 
(Sprinkle and pour are both affusion and the 
same.) Bloomfield (D. 348), Jameson, Fauset, 
Brown, Olshausen and Baumgarten (D. 354), the 
great lights of exegesis, corroborate this inter- 
pretation. While the Bible settles the question 
that the eunuch was baptized by affusion, the 
inquiry is raised, why did they go into tha 
water? This don't concern the matter in dis- 
pute, because the going in and coming out were 
not the baptism, and the case is as clear that it 
was an affusion, if they waded in as if they 



26 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

stopped at the edge. But we would gratuit- 
ously here observe, there is no assurance in the 
original that they either went in or came out. 
The Greek is fully satisfied by the translation. 
They went down (down here means out of the 
chariot and is antithetical to ^^up" in verse 31) to 
the water and came up from the water. (G.) eis 
has about twenty meanings, and no one more 
prominent than to. In Matth. xvii : 27, we 
have the same statement in Greek in reference 
to Peter going down to the sea to catch a fish 
with hook and line. You don't believe Peter 
waded into the sea to catch the fish ; then you 
need not bjelieve Philip and the eunuch waded 
into the water for the baptism 

In Gen. 28 : 16, we have the same Greek 
compounds, ''Katabe and anabe," with reference 
to Rebecca going to the fountain, but there 
was no entrance. 

In Tobit vi : 3, we have it again, in reference 
to a young man going down to the river, but 
there was no entrance. 

The Spring Bethsoron, at which Philip bap- 
tized the Ethiopian eunuch, was well known in 
the fourth century, as related by Eusebius. 

SIXTH TESTIMONY, 

By Peter and Luke at the house of Cornelius. 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 2T 

Peter is preaching to a spell-bound audience^ 
powerfully wrought upon by the contrition and 
piety of Cornelius, now with thrilling enthu- 
siasm listening to their first gospel sermon. 
He reaches the climax and tells them precisely 
how to be saved, proving his doctrine by all the 
prophets (Acts x : 43) : ^'To him give all the 
prophets witness, that through his name whoso- 
ever believeth in him shall receive remission of 
sins." This is the golden key with which they 
unlock the kingdom of heaven. Now, pursuant 
to Grod's great law, faith in Christ, they are par- 
doned, and Jesus sets his seal upon it, baptizing 
them with the Holy Ghost. They break forth 
into a jubilant halleluiah, and shout the preacher 
down. 

Now what is the revelation on the mode of 
baptism? It is clear as the meridian sun, 
Jesus baptizes Peter's congregation while he is 
preaching to them ; and what was the mode ? 
Acts x: 44: ^'The Holy Ghost fell on them.'' 
When Peter saw his Savior had baptized his 
congregation he immediately said he would do 
the same thing with water. And so the inspired 
historian Luke says he did it. Remember Peter 
uses the same word baptize to describe what he 
did with water and what Jesus did with the 



28 BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 

Holy Ghost. So we are coerced to conclude he 
did the same thing. If he had not done the 
same thing he would have used a different word 
to describe what he did. But Peter says he did 
the same thing with water that Jesus did with 
the Holy Ghost. But the Holy Ghost fell on 
them. So Peter says the water fell on them. 
If Peter had plunged could he have revealed 
his plunging and Jesus' pouring by the same 
word? ^'Fell on them," verse 44, reveals the 
mode of baptism both by Spirit and water. 

The whole narrative shows they were bap- 
tized by affusion there in the house. 

(G.) '^To hudor kolusai," verse 47, reveals 
the fact that the water was moved to the people 
instead of the people to the water. 

SEVENTH TESTIMONY, 

By Paul and Luke (Acts xvi: 33) — Jailor. 
Pursuant to the heavenly vision Paul has bidden 
adieu to his native Asia and come to Europe to 
preach the gospel ; has arrived at Philippi, the 
Roman metropolis. Upon his ejection of a 
familiar spirit from a damsel he and Silas are 
arrested, arraigned and condemned. The stout 
Roman lictors lacerate their naked backs with 
the cruel rods, sending every stroke to the bone. 
They are committed to the merciless heathen 



BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 29 

jailor for safe keeping. He leads them down 
into the dismal dreary dungeon and lays their 
bleeding backs on the cold stone floor, lifts up 
their feet, fastens them in the cruel stocks, goes 
back to his downy bed and lies down to take" his 
rest. 

Meanwhile Paul says to Silas : ^'0 my son, 
how sweet it is to suffer for Jesus, who died for 
us ? Would it not be glorious if we would get 
to die for him?'' Says Silas: ^'I was so. happy 
all the time they were beating us. I saw heaven 
open, while glory filled my soul." 

They then pray for that wicked city, and 
especially for the cruel jailor. 

Jesus comes to see them. Their souls get 
happy. They sing praises to God and the Lamb. 
They shout glory. Then power comes down. 
God answers them with an earthquake. The 
old prison rocks to and fro. The bars and bolt& 
are all snapped. The ponderous iron doors slam 
back against the massive stone walls like claps 
of thunder. The prisoners are loose. Paul 
looks through the open door into the jailor'^^ 
apartment (in the same building), and sees him 
draw the sword to cut his throat; thinking the 
prisoners had escaped and his life would pay 
the forfeiture, prefers suicide. The earthquake,. 



30 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

accompanied by the startling information, "We 
are all here," convicts him so pungently, he 
falls and cries, "What shall I do to be saved?" 
The gospel answer comes promptly, "Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be 
saved." He believes, is converted, and goes 
shouting round over the house, happy in the 
Lord. At the same hour (midnight) he washed 
their stripes and was baptized. Did they go out 
to hunt immersion water? They did not. There 
is but one "out" in the text, and that took them 
out of the dungeon into the hall. 

Again : Paul's veracity assures us he did not 
go out of that jail till after the baptism. When 
the sergeants came and told him to go, he said, 
"Nay, verily." Then the magistrates came and 
brought them out. So, if we respect Paul's 
veracity, we dare not say he had been out of 
that jail. 

John Wesley, D. 350 ; Witseus, D. 352 ; Baum- 
garten, D, 347, and Moses Stuart, D. 356, 
men at whose feet we all delight to sit, give it as 
their opinion that Paul took from the same 
water brought into the house to "wash their 
stripes," and baptized the jailor, wife and little 
ones. 

Besides, let us bear in mind that the modal 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 31 

signification of baptism throughout the Bible is 
afifusion. 

EIGHTH TESTIMONY, 

By Ananias (Acts xxii. 16) — the baptism of 
Saul. Here is a weeping penitent, lacerated 
with contrition, having spent three days and 
nights in awful agony, neither eating nor sleep- 
ing. Ananias preaches to him, exhorts him and 
prays for him. The ^ ^scales fall from his eyes," 
his soul is converted. The preacher says arise, 
(Gr.) anastas, ^^standingup," be baptized. Now 
we have it all. The man gets up and is baptized, 
and unless you manufacture scripture you can't 
get him out of his tracks, not to say out of the 
house and going off to hunt an immersion pool. 

NINTH TESTIMONY, 

Our Lord's commission (Matth. xxviii: 19.) 
Our Savior commands us to baptize all the 
people in the world. He commands nothing 
impossible or unreasonable. 

We can baptize everybody, but we can't im- 
merse everybody. 

We are commanded to baptize the eight mil- 
lions of people living around the North pole. 
To immerse them would kill both the subject 
and administrator. Millions of people amid 



32 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

sandy deserts can be baptized, but can't be im- 
mersed. 

I was well acquainted witb two Baptist 
preachers in Pulaski County, Ky., who im- 
mersed people in Pitman's Creek when the water 
was cold, went home, took their beds and soon 
left them for their graves. 

When presiding elder in southeastern Ken- 
tucky, on arrival at Meadow Creek, Whitley 
County, to hold my quarterly meeting, I was 
informed of a sudden death a day or two ago. 
A man low with consumption desired immersion. 
During an attempt made by his friends to sub- 
merge him in a canoe, before he had sunk be- 
neath the waves of cold Cumberland, the shock 
was so great, the blood rushed so violently to 
the interior as to rupture the vessels and pro- 
duce frightful hemorrhage from the nose and 
mouth. He was instantly lifted out dead. 

A young man was immersed in Salt River, 
Kentucky, a few years ago, and fell dead on the 
bank. 

A man was put into water for immersion 
near St. Joseph, Mo , and taken out dead. 

Cases can be given indefinitely. 

Jesus said he "came not to destroy men's 
lives, but to save them." 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 33 

Immersion destroys life. Hence it is not the 
institution of Jesus. 

TENTH TESTIMONY. 

The apostolic persecutions prove that they 
did not immerse the people. 

Now, reader, just take into consideration the 
fact that the apostles penetrated the heathen 
nations and labored faithfully till bloody death 
gave them a sweet passport to glory. They 
were all persecuted unto death except John^ 
who was miraculously delivered from the cal- 
dron of boiling oil in Rome. 

Now remember the Christian religion was 
utterly new to the heathens in every respect. 

Now suppose you had never seen nor heard 
of baptism. A band of strangers come to your 
village preaching and immersing the people. 
Don't you know, when they would lead the 
candidates down into the river and proceed to 
immerse them, it would look just like they 
were going to drown them? Don't you know^ 
if the apostles had immersed the mob would 
have assaulted them? If Paul, at Philippi, had 
undertaken to immerse Lydia in that river on 
whose bank she was converted, her friends 
would have rallied and flogged him more ter- 
ribly than they ever did for preaching. I have 



34 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

my doubts whether he would have gotten out of 
that river without a broken head. 

Here is the clear fact; the heathens who per- 
secuted them even unto death for preaching, 
would have persecuted them for immersion. 
The very fact that they never were persecuted 
for it is positive proof they never did it. 

All analogy involves the conclusion they 
never would have permitted them to immerse 
their women. They would have persecuted 
them much more for immersion than for preach- 
ing. 

The very fact that they never persecuted them 
on account of their baptisms is unanswerable neg- 
ative proof that their baptisms were not immer- 
sions, but simple affusions, so unostensible as to 
be passed over unnoticed by their enemies. 

ELEVENTH TESTIMONY. 

Mark vii : 4 ; Luke xi : 38. In these scrip- 
tures, where you have ''wa"sh" in English we 
have baptize in Greek. In the fourth verse we 
have this wash twice in English ; in one of these 
the Grreek baptismous, baptisms; in the other 
(Gr./'rantisoontai," the regular word for sprinkle, 
clearly illustrating the synonymy of baptize 
and sprinkle, because Mark uses (G.) ^^ranti- 
soontai'^ (sprinkle,) interchangeably with ^'bap- 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 35 

tisoontai'* (baptize.) See Critical Greek Testa- 
raent by Hort and Westcott, 1881, latest decision 
of all the critics and highest New Testament 
authority in the world. 

You sec it settles this question forever by de- 
fining (G.) ^'baptidzo" (baptize) by (G.) ran- 
tidzo" (sprinkle.) 

TWELFTH TESTIMONY. 

The Latin Bible. * 

We find immersion nowhere in the English 
Bible ; but since it is a Latin word, we go to the 
Latin Bible and find it in many passages. The 
Latin Bible (Itala) was translated early in the 
second century by the disciples of the apostles, 
and revised in fourth century by the learned 
Jerome. 

Now remember this Bible was made by the 
holy men who had seen the apostles baptize the 
people. 

Did the apostles immerse? Would they not 
have said so? I go to this Bible and find im- 
merse used whenever there was a sinking (for 
sink is the meaning of immerse, as it don't mean 
.to take them out at all), as (Ex. xv: 10), ^'The 
Egyptians sank" (were immersed). Jer. li : 64: 
^^Babylon will sink," i. e, (immerse). Matth. 
xiv: 30: ^'Peter began to sink" (immerse). 



36 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Matth. xviii : 6 : '^Drowned in the depths of 
the sea." Luke v: 7: "They began to sink" 
(immerse). 1 Tim. vi: 9: "Which drown men 
in destruction and perdition" (immerse). 

When a man is immersed for baptism it is 
just such an operation as the above. Then 
why don't we find (L.) "mergo" (immerse) in 
the Latin Bible to denote baptism ? There can 
be but one answer to this question. That answer 
is, ^'Because the apostolic baptisms were not im- 
mersions J' Thus you see the Latin Bible, in 
which immerse is verna ular, sweeps away the 
last possible presumption that there ever was an 
immersion seen or heard of till after the apostles 
had gone to heaven. 

I can't see how a man can read the Latin 
Bible and entertain the smallest conception that 
immersion was ever seen till down the post- 
apostolic ages human invention foisted it upon 
the church. 

I have given you twelve elaborate arguments 
from Bible cases of water baptism, and find them 
all afiusions, without a trace or a track of im- 
mersion. My argument on Mode is at an end, 
having taken indescrimately all the prominent 
water baptisms. 

You will be a little surprised when I tell you 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 37 

I was baptized by immersion when about six- 
teen; educated in an immersion college, and 
started out preaching an honest immersionist. 
Why the change? One word tells it: Light, 
light, light ! Glory be to God for light. Glory 
to his name for the baptism Jesus pours on my 
soul ! 

Reader, has Jesus baptized you? If not 
hasten to fall at his feet, and take him for your 
portion and receive his baptism, without which 
you will never dwell in his presence. 

ROMANS VI. 

The reason why I proceed to expound this 
scripture is because, though it is spiritual bap- 
tism, since the beginning of the dark ages in the 
third century and the rise of trine-naked im- 
mersion, it has been the standing proof-text of 
immersionists. All other texts which have been 
used signally fail to furnish a solitary item of 
proof. All they can get out of other scriptures 
is merely local or circumstantial — such as being 
at the Jordan, or at Enon, where many springs 
flow, or even ^'in Jordan,'' proves nothing about 
the mode, and when we go to the Bible we find 
it was affusion, whether in a river or in a house. 
So it is an indisputable fact that the only argu- 
ments for immersion are the heathen literature, 



38 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

the dark age practice of a fallen, idolatrous 
church, and a false interpretation of Romans vi. 
The falsity of the interpretation consists in its 
application to water baptism. All I have to do 
to refute the immersion argument is to prove 
the pure spirituality of the passage. 

The transaction in question embraces the first 
eleven verses of the chapter. Let us examine 
them in order and see whether they are physical 
or spiritual. 

Verse 2 : ^'Dead to sin." Is the body dead to 
sin or the soul? You know it is the latter. 
Verse 3 : ^^Were baptized into Jesus Christ?" 
Is your body baptized into Jesus Christ? The 
very idea is materialistic, idolatrous and blas- 
phemous. 

Verse 4: '^Buried with him by baptism into 
death." Is your body buried with the body 
of Christ? You know it is not. Hence it is a 
spiritual burial. 

Verse 5: *'J:*lanted together," (Gr.) ^'sum- 
phutoi," grown together; from (Gr.) '^sumphuoo," 
mistaken by James' translators to be from (G.) 
"sumphuteuoo," planted together, and hence 
erroneously translated ''planted together," instead 
of grown together. 

The Bible represents every Christian as a 



. BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 39 

branch * cut out of the wild olive tree (Satan) 
Rom. xi., and ^'grafted into the good olive tree 
(Christ), and grown fast to him as the branch 
in the vine (John xv.) So our salvation de- 
pends on our being grafted into Christ and 
growing together with him. 

Now we settle the question at once. Is this 
physical or spiritual? If it is physical, your 
body, Christian reader, is grown together with 
the body of Christ. But you know this is not 
so. The body of Christ was in heaven before 
your body had an existence. But it is a fact 
that your spirit in regeneration was grafted into 
the spiritual body of Christ and has grown fast 
to it and lives by virtue of the vitality derived 
from it. This one verse triumphantly refutes 
the possibility of a physical transaction. 

Verse 6 : ^^Old man crucified, ., . destroyed." 
Is the ^^old man" your body? Is your body 
crucified and "destroyed" in water baptism? 
You know it is not. 

How preposterous the application ! The "old 
man" is your fallen nature, which is "crucified" 
and "destroyed" by the Holy Ghost in regener- 
ation and sanctification. 

Verse 7: "He that is dead is freed from sin." 
Is that physical? Then whenever a man is con- 
verted his body dies. 



40 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Verse 11: ^^Reckon yourselves dead unto 
sin." Is that your body? Then Christianity 
is for the dead and not for the living; for a man 
can never be a Christian while his body lives. 
So you see the utter falsity of the physical in- 
terpretation. 

Water baptism is for the physical man. Hence 
it can't be water baptism. This is the most 
elaborate, clear and beautiful description of 
sanctification in the Bible. It is a great pity to 
have this scripture so perverted by immersionists. 
It is no more applicable to a man's body than 
to his horse. You are an immortal spirit. You, 
not your body, must follow Christ in crucifixion, 
interment and resurrection. 

The ^^old man, i, 6., your fallen nature, must 
be crucified, i. e., killed, ^^buried into death,'* i, 
€., into the atonement, i, e., washed away by his 
blood, ^. e., utterly ^^destroyed." 

Thus the old nature is absolutely destroyed 
and taken away, and the new nature created by 
the supernatural intervention of the Holy Ghost, 
is raised up to walk in newness of life. Then 
all sin, actual and inbred (old man) is washed 
away, the heart is cleansed, and Christ reigns 
without a rival. 

It is to be deplored that the immersion dogma 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 41 

throws a dark shadow over this pre-eminently 
important scripture, deceives the people and 
keeps them from seeking the experience here 
described, without which they never can enter 
heaven. The baptism is not represented here 
as a burial, but as the burrier, i. e., ^'buried by 
baptism." Baptism is the agent of crucifixion, 
burial and resurrection. 

The ''old man," i, 6., inbred depravity, is cru- 
cified and buried into the death of Christ, ^. e., 
washed away by his blood, and the new man 
raised up, all by the baptism of the Holy Ghost. 
Burial is not the baptism, but one of the impor- 
tant spiritual effects of the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit. I here arraign my immersion brethren 
for contradicting St Paul in the following 
points : 

First. When you immerse a man you bury 
him alive, whereas Paul's man in burial is cru- 
cified, i. e. , dead, before he is buried. Now tell 
me by what authority you bury a man alive. 
You respond, ! his body is not dead, but his 
spirit. Then let us have a spiritual burial, and 
we, all agree. The thing buried is dead. So if 
you bury the body you must wait till it is dead. 
But you bury them all alive. So you flatly con- 
tradict Paul. I arraign you for contradicting 



42 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Paul and disobeying the Scripture wherever you 
bury anything alive. 

Second. Antagonism: You bury the man 
into water, whereas, the ^'old man" in the text 
is buried into ^'death" (of Christ), i. e, the 
fountain filled with blood where all our sins are 
washed away; 

Third. Antagonism: You raise up the same 
body you bury, whereas, in the text the *'old 
man," the son of the devil, is buried and left 
buried forever, i. e., utterly "destroyed," washed 
away by the blood, leaving the soul "sanctified 
wholly," 1 Thess. v: 23, and the new man, the 
son of Grod, is raised up. If the ^ old man" is 
raised up, "the last state of the man is worse 
than the first." 

Fourth. Antagonism : You raise the man by 
your own physical power, whereas the man in 
the text is raised "through faith of the opera- 
tion of God," i. e.j by the power of God through 
faith, i. 6., the crucifixion, interment and resur- 
rection are all, like everything else we get from 
God, simply through faith. 

So you see Rom. vi. is absolutely irreconci- 
lable with the immersion. When you immerse a 
man you antagonize the Apostle Paul through- 
out. I would insist that you cease to mar that 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 43 

glorious description of entire sanctification, {, e,y 
full salvation, without tlie experience of whick 
your people will all go to hell. When you im« 
merse people do like I do, immerse them for ac- 
commodation, because I believe it will do for 
baptism, and don't pervert and destroy the force 
of God's word in the vain attempt to prove 
something which is entirely unknown in the 
Bible. Every word in the chapter (Rom. vi.} 
proves the baptism to be spiritual. So you all 
know the mode before I tell you. From the 
alpha of Genesis to the omega of Kevelation^ 
the Spirit is poured out on the people. The^ 
effect of the baptism is to crucify the '^old man," 
bury him into the atonement of Christ, and raise 
up the *'new man." 

Reader, have you this experience? Has the- 
Holy Ghost crucified, buried and raised you? 
If not, pray to Jesus this moment, linger at His. 
feet, plunge into the fountain. His blood will 
wash away the *'old man" and make you ''whiter 
than snow," Psa. li: 7. 

Heb. x: 22, "Let us diaw nigh with a true 
heart, ... and our bodies washed with 
pure water." Immersion has often been in- 
ferred from this, because it says "bodies washed. "^ 
There is no evidence that the entire body is. 



44 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

washed. When Jesus said to Peter, John xiii : 8, 
"If I wash thee not," t. e., Peter, the man; he 
only meant his feet. 

Luke xi: 38, ^'They marveled that he had 
not first washed before dinner," (G.) baptidzo, 
whereas, they only meant wash his hands (Dr. 
Wall, D. 354). From these and many other 
scriptures we see the presumption that it means 
the entire body is wholly untenable. 

Again, the revelation of the Holy Spirit set- 
tles the question that no immersion can be in- 
Tolved. "With pure water," in the Greek is 
•^^hudati Katharoo.'* Katharoo is the word al- 
ways involving the idea of sprinkling. It is 
used in (Ezekiel xxxvi : 25), "I will sprinkle 
clean water upon you." It means the water of 
purification or baptism, which was always sprin- 
kled. 

"Hudati" (with water) is the dative without a 
preposition, and is irreconcilable with an im- 
mersion. In fact, the Greek construction of this 
passage precludes the possibility of an immer- 
sion. An immersion would require the accusa- 
tive with a preposition ; (G.) eis to hudor, into 
the water; whereas, the text reads simply (G.) 
"hudati," with water, showing that the water 
was handled. I don't wonder that the light of 



BAPTISM^^ — MODE AND DESIGN. 45 

Christian civilization has almost driven immer- 
sion from the earth. 

During the dark ages 500 years ago, it was 
prevalent throughout Europe ; now it is almost 
unknown. 

Of the four hundred millions of nominal 
Christians to-day, only about four millions re- 
quire immersion for baptism. Many of the Bap- 
tists, its strong defenders, having given it up, 
practice pouring. (Milner 162.) 

Thus an institution, born of superstition, cul- 
minating in the dark ages, is fast waning and 
dying amid the accumulating light of growing 
civilization. It can't bear the light. It can't 
bear investigation. We have had many debates- 
in the Kentucky Conference, where this dogma 
is stronger than in any other territory of equal 
area beneath the skies But how is it now ? 
The battlefield is silent. Only now and then Ve 
hear the clash of resounding arms. 



46 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 



PART II, 



Ezekiel xxxvi: 25, ^^I will sprinkle clean 
^vater upon you." . ..... A new 

heart will I give you, and anew spirit will I put 
within you." 

John the Baptist, Matt, iii: 11, "I baptize you 
with water, but He (Jesus) will baptize you 
with the Holy Ghost and fire." These authors 
exhibit the uniform teaching of both testaments, 
setting forth both baptisms in the same sentence 
in immediate juxtaposition, illustrating mutual 
counterparts of the same transaction — namely, 
spiritual substance and ceremonial symbol, i. e,, 
water is the symbol of the Spirit. 

I write not so much to establish the design of 
water baptism, which is very simple and all told 
in the mere symbol of Spirit, but to refute a 
monstrous heresy which has spread over this 
country during the last half century, namely 
baptismal remission. This, with other kindred 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 47 

heresies, is the mystery of iniquity, 2 Th. ii : 7, 
and the antichrist of prophecy. 

2 Th. ii : 3, '^And that man of sin be revealed, 
the son of perdition ; who opposeth and exalteth 
himself above all that is called God, or that is 
worshipped ; so that he, as God, sitteth in the 
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.'» 
In the debate at Little Hickman, Jessamine 
County, Ky., May 1-4, 1883, Elder Briney 
argued that when God converted a man, still he 
was not pardoned till he was immersed for the 
remission of his sins. You see this is a full in- 
dorsement of popery, elevating the Pope or the 
preacher above God. For after God has con- 
verted the man, he must still go to hell, unless 
the preacher immerses him. So Jesus don't 
save him in conversion, but the preacher saves 
him in immersion. The heathens all believed in 
the efficacy of water to wash away spiritual 
pollutions, (D. 284). 

When the heathens came by myriads into the 
church, they brought with them this doctrine, 
which became the pillar of popery, prelacy 
and priestcraft. The result of this influx of 
heathen heresy was the paganization of the 
church and its transformation from the sim- 
plicity of Apostolic doctrine and practice into 



48 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

the hideous monstrosity of Roman Catholicism. 
During the dark ages the Romanists immersed 
for remission. With the incoming light of 
modern civilization they gave up their unscrip- 
tural immersion, and have since sprinkled for 
remission. 

Sixty years ago Elder A. Campbell, a man of 
erudition and eloquence, began to propagate his 
new doctrine in this country, *4mmersion for re- 
mission." The people flocked from all direc- 
tions, listened spellbound and followed him by 
myriads. Little did they apprehend that the 
new doctrine they were drinking in so voraci- 
ously was ^^dark age popery," exhumed by this 
ingenious son of thunder. 

A man would a thousand times better never 
receive water baptism than to receive it as a sav- 
ing ordinance, for in that case it becomes a rival 
of Jesus. You worship everything to which you 
impute salvation. If you look to baptism as a 
saving ordinance in any sense, you deify it and 
become an idolater. If you go to the water 
imbued with this heresy, that God has promised 
to remit your sins in water baptism, you come 
away unpardoned, and so remain until you aban- 
don the water-god and take Jesus. The only 
condition on which Jesus will save, is to abandon 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 49 

everything, i. c, the water, the preacher and 
everything else, and take Him alone and trust 
Him to save you. 

OBEDIENCE. 

The advocates of this specious and dangerous 
error talk much about obedience. St. James 
ii: 10, ^'Whosoever . . . offends the law in 
one point, is guilty of all,'' plainly teaches the 
unity of disobedience. Disobedience is but the 
antithesis of obedience. If one is a unit, so is. 
the other. 

That unit of obedience Jesus has revealed. 
by one word, love. ^'Thou shalt love the Lord 
with all thy heart." . . . Again, '^Love ia 
the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. xiii: 10). 

SALVATION. 

In the salvation of a soul, there are conviction, 
repentance, faith, justification, regeneration, 
adoption, baptism and obedience. Conviction 
shows us we are lost; repentance breaks the 
yoke of Satan and abandons him forever ; faith 
receives Christ and submits to Him uncon- 
ditionally. Christ baptizes us with his Holy 
Spirit, who sheds abroad (pours out) his love in 
our hearts, Rom. v: 5. This love regenerates 
you, the Spirit adopts you and testifies to you 
your salvation. 



50 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Rom. v: 5, tells you how you get the love. 
It is "poured into" your heart by the Holy 
Grhost. Now, Jesus settles the question of obe- 
dience by concentrating all the commandments 
into onCj and that is "love/' Math, xxii : 37, 
and Paul confirms it — ^'Love' is the fulfilling of 
the law. 

The moment a sinner abandons himself to 
Christ, He forgives his sins, baptizes his soul 
and pours into his heart His love, which is the 
essence of all obedience. 

Away with your popes and priests! We can 
only tell the sinners about Jesus and send them 
to him. He needs no help to save them, and 
won't have any. When you and the water-God 
pitch in to help Him, he modestly declines and 
leaves you the job by yourselves, and will never 
save unless the sinner gets his eyes open, sees 
you and the water-God can't save him, and in 
despair turns himself over to Jesus. You see I 
have proved that the love Jesus gives you when 
He converts you is the only obedience. That 
love which is the inward and only essential 
obedience of course leads a life of outward obedi- 
ence also. But the outward obedience, whether 
in water baptism or ten thousand other duties 
equally important, is but the fruit of the only 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 51 

real and essential obedience, that blessed heaven- 
ly unit, an artesian well of holy love ever flowing 
in the soul, without which all outward obedi- 
ence as a condition of salvation, is idolatrous, 
papistical, nonsensical and blasphemous. 

ANTICHRIST. 

A moment's reflection in the light of God's 
word will unable you to see that this is the doc- 
trince of antichrist. 

Antichrist is one who usurps the throne of 
Christ, I. 6., takes the place of Christ and keeps 
Christ from saving the peeple. 

Jesus is the omnipotent King of the universe. 
The very idea that He needs help to save a soul 
is idolatrous, blasphemous and downright insult 
to His majesty. 

You can easily discriminate between the 
preacher of Christ and the preacher of anti- 
christ. The former cries : "Fly to Christ and 
let Him save you;" the latter, whether Mor- 
mon prophet or Roman priest, vociferates, 
''Come to me, and let me baptize you in order to 
the remission of your sins." Here comes in the 
trouble ; Jesus never saves a sinner till he gives 
up everything else and utterly abandons himself 
to Him. This doctrine of "baptismal remission" 



52 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

SO antagonizes the plan of salvation as to be in- 
compatible with it. So fatal is this heresy of 
popery and antichrist that a man can't receive 
it and abide in it without losing his soul. (I 
mean the human spirit, i, e., the man proper, 
for the heart may give up the water-God and 
take Jesus, and still the mind in some sense 
hold to the latter). 

Whatever comes between the soul and Jesus 
is practical antichrist, i. e., takes the place of 
Christ and keeps Him from saving you. Hence, 
the man feeling that Grod is obligated to par- 
don him in baptism, so he does not, in the 
utter abandonment of everything else, cast him- 
self on the mercy of God in Christ, gets no par- 
don. Now if he goes on to the end of his life, 
thinking his sins were pardoned in baptism, his 
heaven will turn out to be hell. 

An intelligent Methodist or Baptist earnestly 
seeking Jesus may find Him in the water or any- 
where else. But let a man come to the water 
deluded by this heresy, that he brings God 
under obligation to save him by immersion, he 
will come a sinner and go away a sinner, and 
never be saved unless he throws away the water-, 
god and takes Jesus. I have conversed with 
thousands of intelligent, honest people who had 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 53 

been baptized in order to remission, and have 
yet to meet tbe first one who received then and 
there an intelligent experience of salvation. I 
have also seen hundreds of them converted at 
our altars, who testified that they had been de- 
ceived. Satan did a land-office business when 
he raised up the Pope to propagate this doc- 
trine. I doubt whether any other dogma has 
brought so many souls to hell. The Pope has 
burnt millions because they wrote and spoke 
just as I am doing, and he would burn me if he 
had the power. 

But little more than three centuries ago 
Bishops Latimer and Ridley were chained on 
opposite sides of the same stake at Smithfield, 
Eng., and burnt for just what I am now doing. 
I feel it my duty to write these pages because 
that heresy is so prevalent in this country, and 
with the increasing Catholic population is grow- 
ing. I write against no church. My only de- 
sire is that all churches and people should give 
up error and sin, and take Jesus and holiness. 

The water-regenerationists prove their dogma 
by about as much scripture as you can write on 
the palm of your hand, all meaning the baptism 
of the Holy Ghost, which is essential to salva- 
tion ; but by them misconstrued and applied to 



54 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

water, thus fortifying all the monstrous papist- 
ical pretensions. 

Mark xvi . 16, *^He that believeth and is bap- 
tized, shall be saved," is their chief citadel. 

It was the sugar stick of Moses E. Lard all 
his life. At Little Hickman, Elder Briney 
took it for his first argument, and fought, bled 
and died on it. 

In the first place, I would simply state that 
all the critics of the world have vetoed the 
authorship of this text. None of the old and 
authoritative manuscripts have it. Tischen- 
dorf, the prince of critics, following the Sinaitic 
manuscript, the ^^oldest of all and only one en- 
tire," leaves it out altogether. 

The latest critical Greek Testament, by Hort 
and Westcott, the unanimous concurrence of 
universal criticism, gives it, but marks it an in- 
terpolation. Thus, like the eunuch's confes- 
sion. Acts viii : 37, which they adopted as their 
pillar, found to be spurious and discarded by all 
authorities, they preach it no more ; so Mark 
xvi: 16 is in rapid succession to its merited 
oblivion. Soon they will preach it no more. 

Here is the verdict of all the critics : "It 
manifestly can not claim any apostolic authority ; 
but is doubtless founded on some tradition of 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 55 

the apostolic age." Hort and Westcott, 2d vol., 
p. 51, Appendix. 

Let me here say that while Mark xvi : 16 is 
spurious without a doubt, yet I believe it to be 
in harmony with the word of God. We have 
the voice of unanimous criticism certifying 
Mark never wrote it, and it is ^-without apos- 
tolical authority." Yet it may state a truth, 
and I believe it does. So let us give it a fair, 
candid and honest interpretation, ''He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized, shall be saved." 

You see there is no water in the text, and I 
dare say, no man who has not ''water on the 
brain" will ever see it there. 

With the Bible before us revealing a baptism 
for the soul as well as the body, we can easily 
see which it is. I find the same thing believes, 
is baptized and is saved. Now, what is that 
thing ? Is it the body or the soul ? Can the 
body believe ? You know it can not. Is the 
body saved? You answer, No. The saint dies 
as well as the sinner. So what is that thing 
that believes, is baptized and is saved? You 
know it is the soul. Hence, you see the plain 
and simple meaning of the passage is : The 
soul helieveSy the soul is baptized, and the soul is 
saved. There is no body baptism in it, and 
never was. 



56 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

It is in perfect harmony with the uuiform 
teaching of the Bible : The sinner believes, 
Jesus baptizes him (with the Holy Grhost) and 
saves him. Oh ! the awful perversion of this pas- 
sage, used for ages to support the popish doc- 
trine of baptismal regeneration. 

ACTS II: 38. 

^'Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in 
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost." 

I am happy to observe the Revised Version of 
1881, which is the most correct English version 
extant, omits the Popish phrase ^'for remission," 
involving conditionality, and very correctly gives 
^^unto remission," i, e., with reference to or point- 
ing to, as water baptism refers to, points to and 
emblematizes the baptism of the Holy Ghost, by 
which we are saved. 

Peter here enforces the baptism of the Holy 
Ghost as the salient matter, and so exhorts in 
verse 39 : ^'For the promise is to you and to 
your children, and to all who are afar ofiF, even 
as many as the Lord our God shall call." 

As Dean Alford and all the authorities certify 
that water baptism here is the outward and 
visible sign of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 57 

he preached Holy Ghost baptism essential and 
water the symbol referring to it. 

These water-regenerationists grossly misrepre- 
sent Peter as preaching the essentiality of water 
baptism, while he lays all the emphasis on the 
baptism of the Holy Ghost, which they, in order 
to enthrone their water-god, discard altogether; 
thus ejecting God from the plan of salvation. 

The water-regeneration exegesis of this pas- 
sage antagonizes all the Bible -the above ex- 
egesis harmonizes with all the Bible. 

Peter's commission, under which he was preach- 
ing (Luke xxiv: 47 j, promising remission of 
sins on condition of repentance, had no water 
in it. • When Peter preached to the house of 
Cornelius, the whole congregation were con- 
verted, pardoned, regenerated and baptized with 
the Holy Ghost, and saved without a drop of 
water. 

The cases are parallel. Peter says (Acts xv : 
9), on both occasions their hearts were "purified 
by faith." That is, the gospel. Jesus baptizes 
and saves, not the preacher. 

The water-regenerationists who have debated 
with me have uniformly denied the baptism of 
the Holy Ghost altogether since the Apostles, 
thus dethroning Jesus and enthroning the water- 



58 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

god. And all this right in the face of Peter in 
their favorite Scripture (Acts ii : 39), asserting 
that it is for everybody and essential to salva- 
tion. Why don't they obey Peter, and when 
they baptize with water pray on till Jesus bap- 
tizes with the Holy Ghost? They deify the 
shadow and reject the substance. So their water- 
baptism is solemn mockery, farcical and blas- 
phemous. 

ACTS XXII: 16. 

"Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy 
sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'' 

Water baptism is the emblem of spirit bap- 
tism. Paul's sins were on his soul ; water could 
not touch them, unless you adopt the Pagan, 
Popish and materialistic heresy of baptismal re- 
generation and conclude Paul's sins were washed 
away by the water. That would do for India or 
China, but I don't think you can quite stand it. 

Five versions of the New Testament, namely^ 
Wickliff, Tyndale, Cranmer, Geneva and Rheims, 
all render this passage wash away thy sins by 
calling on the name of the Lord, i. e., by prayer. 
There is no trouble about it. Paul's sins were 
symbolically washed away by the water, but 
really and actually washed away by the blood of 
Christ, the only elixir of purgation, applied by 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 59 

the Holy Ghost. Could you conclude that the 
man who said, ^'Christ sent me not to baptize^ 
but to preach the gospel," was a water- regener- 
ationist? Paul's commission, under which he 
preached all his life, had no water in it. Acts 
xxvi : 18. 

You remember Paul's watchword: "By deeds 
of law shall no flesh be justified." Water baptism 
is a deed of the ceremonial law of the gospel 
dispensation. So Paul's life-long preaching 
irreconcilably refutes baptismal regeneration. 

EPH. y: 26. 

'' That he [Christ] might sanctify and cleanse 
it [the church] by the washing of water by the 
word." This has been pressed into service by 
the waterists. It is so irreconcilable with their 
dogma that we will give it but a passing word. 
There are two reasons why they can't use this 
at all to prove "water baptism in brder to re- 
mission." One is it is applied to the "church,'' 
which here is the mystical spiritual body of 
Christ. Hence already pardoned and regener- 
ated. The other, it is for sanctification and not 
"for remission." 

Remission is for sinners, but sanctification is 
for Christians only. Hence this can't be for 
remission of sins. First, because it is applied 



60 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

to parties who have no sins to be remitted ; and, 
secondly, because it is not for remission, but for 
sanctification. 

1 PETER III: 20, 21. 

^^While the ark was preparing, wherein few, 
I. e., eight souls, were saved by water. The like 
figure whereunto baptism doth also now save 
us (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, 
but the answer of a good conscience toward 
God)." The clause in this Scripture, ^'baptism 
saves us," has been wonderfully vociferated by 
water-regenerationists. 

We don't deny, ^'baptism saves." But what 
baptism? Let Peter answer. The adjective 
and noun, "like figure," in English, is but one 
word in the Greek, namely, antitupon, ^. e., 
antitype. Throughout the Bible water is a type 
and Spirit the antitype. So here Peter says the 
antitype baptism, ^. e., the baptism of the Holy 
Ghost, now saves us. Peter fortifies himself 
against the very misconstruction the waterists 
have foisted on him by inserting the parenthet- 
ical clause exegetical of his meaning, "not put- 
ting away the filth of the fiesh," i. e., not water 
baptism, for the design of water baptism in both 
Testaments is to remove ceremonial defile- 
ment and efiect ceremonial purity, while its 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 61 

substantial counterpart (Holy Ghost baptism) 
removes spiritual defilements and efi'ects spir- 
itual purity. So Peter refutes this heresy by 
stating, ^'not the putting away the filth of the 
flesh, but the answer of a good conscience to- 
ward God," i. e , the baptism of the Holy 
Ghost, in which the Spirit applies the atonin<>- 
blood, washes the heart, makes it whiter than 
snow. Psalm li: 7. 

This Holy Ghost baptism is God's answer to 
a good conscience, in which he speaks to tyour 
soul and tells you your conscience, i. e., your 
heart, is pure ; you are gloriously saved, and 
saved to the uttermost. This is salvation by 
baptism sure enough. It is none of your bun- 
combe, supposititious water works. 

So be sure you get the ''antitype baptism," 
which Peter says ^ 'saves us," i. e., the Holy 
Ghost baptism saves us and not the type (water). 

TITUS III : 5, 6. 

"Not by works of righteousness which we 
have done, but the washing of regeneration and 
the renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed 
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our 
Savior." 

I confess my astonishment at the use of this 
passage by the waterists to support their dogma. 



62 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

They are demolished at the outset by the very 
words of Jesus (Matt, iii^: 15), ^'To fulfill all 
righteousness," in which righteousness is applied 
to water baptism. When Paul in this text says, 
^^Not by works of righteousness which we have 
done," it is the same as if he said, not by water 
baptism. 

Again : whatever it was, was poured on them. 
So if it was baptism, it came by pouring. And 
that is true. It was the baptism of the Holy 
GhosJ) and came by pouring ; and so the water 
symbol (which had no salvation in it, but merely 
represented salvation) came by pouring. 
JOHN III: 5. 

"Born of water and of the Spirit." 

There is no doubt but this is the water of 
life, i. e., spiritual water. So thought Calvin, 
Grotius, Coccieus, Lampe and Tholuck. 

This conclusion is confirmed by the fourth 
and seventh chapters, as well as many other 
Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments. 

The woman at the well in fourth chapter 
very naturally concluded he meant the water in 
the well, but she was mistaken. So in vii : 38, 
he says : '^If a man believe in me, out of his 
belly shall flow rivers of living waters." So we 
see he meant the Spirit, i. e., the water of life. 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 63 

Nicodemus, an honest preacher of the gospel, 
though unconverted, leaped to a Campbellite 
conclusion, which is perfectly natural to an un- 
converted man, and said to Jesus: ^^How can a 
man be born when he is old? Can he enter the 
second time into his mother's womb and be 
born?" He, like all water-remissionists, was a 
materialist. So he thought our Savior meant a 
physical birth. This was his blunder, ^. e., the 
materiality of the birth in contradistinction to 
its spirituality. See how sweetly and clearly 
Jesus corrects him: ''That which is born of the 
flesh is flesh ; that which is born of the Spirit 
is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you, 
You must be born from on high," i. e., by the 
power of God. 

Then in verse eighth, by the example of the 
wind, Jesus proves beyond controversy the 
pure spirituality of the birth. The waterists 
all get their feet in Nicodemus' lasso and fall 
into a mill-pond. 

Now what was Nicodemus' blunder ? Why 
it was in thinking Jesus meant a physical birth 
instead of a spiritual birth, i. e., that his body 
had to be born again. 

Now, you know if water baptism is a birth at 
all it is a physical birth, i. e., the body is born 



64 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

again. And that is precisely Nicodemus' error, 
i. e., that his body had to be born again. I do 
think it is time people would get out of Nico- 
demus' blunder since our Savior corrected him 
so fully and clearly. But the reason Nicodemus 
fell into it was because he was experimentally 
ignorant of spiritual things. For the same rea- 
son Nicodemus' materialistic heresy is preached 
to-day irom so many pulpits. 

Every man in the world who has been con- 
verted to Grod knows there is no physical water 
in the spiritual birth. 

If this means water baptism it is only used in 
a symbolic sense and gives no support to this 
Popish heresy. 

BAPTISM ESSENTIAL. 

The reader will understand we frankly admit 
that baptism is essential to salvation in the 
highest sense, i, e , without it there can be no 
salvation. But it is the baptism of the Holy 
Ghost. Now rely upon it, every time the Scrip- 
tures recognize baptism essential to salvation it 
is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. 

Be assured, upon a fair exegesis, not a soli- 
tary statement in the Bible recognizes water 
baptism essential to salvation. All this grand 
pageantry of water regeneration was first Pagan- 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 65 

ism, then Popery, now preached by thousands 
of Mormon prophets and elders, and minor par- 
ties under a diversity of names. 

*^FAITH ALONE." 

Amid' the latter-day conquests of water the- 
ology many orthodox preachers have turned 
pale at ^^Faith alone,'' 

I shall be like Luther when the Pope ordered 
him to exscind it from his theses. He responded 
No, not to gratify all the Popes in hell — mean- 
while they were preparing to burn him. Shame 
on his weak-kneed gospel sons ! 

Unconverted preachers in this country for 
the last forty years have made themiselyes hoarse 
ridiculing "faith alone.'' iv^ir f.[. 

It is i^ecessary for somebody to defend the 
truth, and I feel it a sweet privilege. 

Every grace in the plan of salvation is unique 
in its office and signification. We are illumin- 
ated by conviction alone. The yoke of Satan is 
broken by repentance alone. The yoke of Christ 
is received by faith ulone. Sins are blotted out 
in justification alone. The new life is imparted 
by regeneration alone. The old>.-life is taken 
away by sanctification aZone. -n i^'rv 

Now no one is so silly as to think any one of 
these graces excludes the rest. Yet in this sense 



66 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

has this Popish howl been rung from hundreds 
of so-called Protestant pulpits for the last half 
century. 

In the exclusive sense in which they accuse 
us of holding this doctrine none but a few Anti- 
nomian fanatics ever did hold it. Don't you 
know justification and sanctification by ^'faith 
alone/' are the point of departure from Roman- 
ism — the salient point and cardinal doctrine of 
all the Protestants? Jesus is our prophet, priest 
and king — he ^'aZoTie" is the Savior. ^^Faith 
alone!^ is the human side — Christ "alone" the 
divine side. If one is true the other is true. 

This fight against "faith alone" is nothing but 
the old war of Antichrist, i. e., rivalry and an- 
tagonism to Christ. I don't wonder Satan hates 
"faith alone;" for it dethrones the Pope, kills 
the water-gods and all of his idols, and is des- 
tined to conquer the world for Christ. There 
has never been a soul saved by any other doc- 
trine. Reader, have you been saved ? If so, I 
venture to say it was just when you threw away 
all your own righteousness — such as your moral 
virtues, good works, water baptism, etc., and 
took Christ as your only and all-sufiicient 
Savior. 

Now, don't you know you took Christ by 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 6 7 

*^faith alone?" Faith is the only receptive grace. 
Hence you can't receive Christ by anything but 
faith, /. ^., "faith alone." If you don't take 
Christ alone as your Savior you are lost forever. 
When you cast everything away and receive 
Christ alone, then you exercise "faith alone." 

I can easily see how unconverted men can 
preach against "faith alone." But this I do 
know, that no Christian can intelligently argue 
against "faith alone," because he knows he was 
saved just in that way, by letting go the ship 
and walking out, like Peter on the water, by 
"faith alone." All anybody ever did or has to 
do to be saved is to give up sin and Satan and 
receive Jesus, which is done by "faith alone." 

For authority for this doctrine I refer you 
to the Bible from Alpha to Omega. In the 
New Testament alone I can give you five hun- 
dred texts proving this doctrine. 

Of course my space is limited ; but as I said 
in the Preface, it will afford me great pleasure 
to meet any man endorsed by his people in oral 
discussion, if he desires to controvert these 
doctrines. 

ACTS XVI : 31: 

" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou 
shalt be saved." 



68 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

Elder Briney, at Little Hickman, acknowl- 
edged that this passage, as well as many others 
quoted, taught justification by "faith alone," if 
'isolated and independent. " I then and now con- 
tend that this and hundreds of others are "iso- 
lated and independent.^' "\ 

'The case of the lailer is demonstrative and 
.A , •^ 

uncontrovertible. To say he was not saved by 

"faith alone'' is to flatly contradict Paul. The 
trembling sinner asks, "What must 1 do to b^ 
saved?" The answer comes promptly : "Be- 
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
be saved," '^Faiit teilis MmLnqtbihg liut '^'be- 
lieve." If anything else was necessary Paul 
stands in the attitude of a falsifier. But Paul 
told him true ; for he was saved then and there. 
The reason people are ndt saved now is because 
men don't preach to them the straight, clear, 
simple gospel : "Believe and ye shall be saved," 
tiul they are befogged with human policy, i. e.y 
Popery. Will any one dare say this is not an 
"isolated and independent" statement? So, as 
Elder Briney acknowledged, it proves indis- 
putably justification by "faith alone."' 

If you want to see people saved by thousands 
go back to the good old Pauline Wesleyan doc- 
trine of justification and sanctification by "faith 
alone." 



BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 69 

This false Popish doctrine has transformed 
the church (the Lord's panoplied army) into 
hospitals of sick (unsanctified Christians) and 
dead people (unconverted sinners). Hence the 
distressing inefficiency of preachers and churches. 
Abandon your Popery, salvation by works, cry 
"Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the 
sins of the world," and Jesus will come and 
work miracles of grace. 

JAMES II: 24. 

"You see) then, how that by works a man is 
justified, and not by faith only." 

This passage is forever quoted by the Papists. 
There are four justifications : that of the infant 
without faith or works; that of the sinner by 
"faith only;" that of the Christian by faitk 
and works, and that of the final judgment by 
works only. ■ 10} ^nidjcrjinv 

Here James speaks of a Christian, Abraham, 
forty-one years after he had been justified when 
a sinner by "faith alone," as Paul so abundantly 
teaches. Every Christian is justified by works^ 
not in sense of pardon, but approval. 
PHIL. II : 12, 13. 

"Work oiit your salvation with fear and 
trembling, for it is God that worketh in you to 
will and to do of his good pleasure." 



70 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

This is spoken to Christians with reference 
to grace culture, and gives no support to the 
Papistical heresies of ^'salvation by works/' 
^Tor it is God that worketh in you to will and 
to do of his good pleasure/' 

The plain meaning is, you abandon yourself 
to God unreservedly by ^^faith alone;" you turn 
your will over to him unconditionally and abide 
in perfect submission forever. He takes you 
and sanctifies you ; takes your will into hand, 
so you have no longer your own will, but God's 
will. Meanwhile God transforms your will in 
such a way that when you put forth volitions 
they are in perfect harmony with God's will. 
Self is crucified ; your will is lost in God's will. 
Still you are free and exercise your own sanc- 
tified will ; so sanctified as to be identified with 
God's will. In that case you are a great worker; 
for God has something for you to do all the 
time, and you can't be idle. We work like tools. 
'^God works in us, of his own good pleasure." 
Reader, this is sweet and delightful work. 
Angels love to do this work. Are you happy in 
the Lord's vineyard ? 

This is the Lord's sweet work ; but work as a 
condition of pardon is Satan's work. It is done 
bj none but Satan's people and always in his 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 71 

kingdom, and of course it belongs to him. 
When the devil can get a sinner to seek salva- 
tion by works he is sure to get him if he don't 
get his eyes open, see the utter futility of all his 
works and give himself to Jesus by "faith alone.'* 
It is a great pity the gospel has been so obscured 
by this heresy. It is everywhere keeping people 
from Jesus and salvation. 

Interview every Christian you meet and he 
will tell you he was saved just when he gave up 
all his works and took Jesus by "faith alone." 
The same is true of sanctification. It is always 
by "faith alone." 

Paul says (Rom. iv: 16): "It is by faith, that 
it may be by grace [free gift] ; that the promise 
might be sure to all the seed." So the very 
economy of grace requires it to be by "faith 
alone." !-how happy this world would be if 
they would throw down the devil's trash and 
take Jesus. 

Do you want pardon? Let everything else 
go and receive it at the hands of Jesus^ by 
"faith alone," or you will never get it. Do you 
want sanctification? Throw away Satan's lie 
that you get it by works, and so must wait to do 
the works. "Reckon yourselves to be dead in- 
deed unto sin, but alive unto God" (Rom. vi: 



72 BAPTISM— MODE AND DESIGN. 

11). And while you reckon it God will make 
it so and give you the joyous experience cer- 
tified by the Holy Spirit, ''sanctified wholly." 

This false Popish doctrine of remission in 
water baptism has throwQ its pestiferous branches 
over Kentucky and portions of the adjoining 
States like a deadly Upas tree for the last forty 
years. The result is all denominations have 
been afiiected by the malaria. 

Twenty years ago the Baptists and Presby- 
terians all had their altars and got the people 
converted and received them on their experi- 
ences. Now they have no altars. Consequently 
they have no fire to burn up the sins of the 
people. Hence they take them in on a dry, cold 
profession of faith, without satisfactory evidences 
of conversion. 

The Methodists have lamentably given up 
their altars, let the fire go out and religion die, 
and sadly drifted back to the cold, dead level of 
Episcopal ritualism — class-meetings dead and 
sanctification forgotten. 

Brethren, don't you know we are to-day living 
in a North-pole atmosphere? It is, at least in 
part, imputable to the propagation of baptismal 
regeneration. It is an Arctic iceberg stranded 
in our midst and chilling the entire atmosphere 



BAPTISM — MODE AND DESfCW. f S 

down to the zero point. If all the Meth<j^is<^ 
will rally around our altars God will pour do^ri 
fire from heaven and melt this iceberg. RallyJ 
rally ! 

Don't you know, brethren, the altar is men- 
tioned four hundred times in the Bible? Don't 
you know we insult God when we give it up^? 
Why is religion dead and dying in so many of 
our churches? It is for the want of the bap- 
tism of the Holy Ghost and fire. Fire to burn 
up the sins of the people and the Holy Ghost 
to regenerate and sanctify. Preach justification 
and sanctification by faith alone and you will 
run the devil ; for faith alone is the antithesis 
of Christ alone, and leaves out the devil, the 
Pope, the water-god and all human trash, and 
gives Christ all the glory. Call the people to 
the altar. Make all your members pray, con- 
liess and testify, throw away all carnal and time- 
serving policy, and preach the truth fearless of 
men and devils, and God will pour down his 
Spirit and emblazon the whole country with the 
lightnings of perpetual Pentecost. 

GOOD-BYE. 

Now, little book, I have written you with an 
eye single to the glory of God, guided and illu- 
minated by his blessed Holy Spirit. Go and 



74 BAPTISM — MODE AND DESIGN. 

preach the gospel to the thousands who have 
heard my voice, but will never hear it again 
till we meet in glory, and to the myriads who 
have neVer heard my voice ; and the blessing of 
the Father, Son and Holy Ghost go with you 
and use you to destroy error, enforce truth, con- 
vict, convert and sanctify souls. 



THE END. 



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